Good Noon Day:
I didn't realize that registration had closed for today's supplemental training. We have plenty of room for more participants. There is still time to register. We meet at Washburn at 2:30PM. Should be great snow with the recent storm and the colder temps. Bring a sack supper. Looking forward to seeing you in a couple of hours. To those racing at Spirit tomorrow, rest up tonight and race with confidence and determination tomorrow. Remember you have to stay focused for 40 seconds instead of 19 or 20. Jan 7 Supplemental Training Registration Enjoy the sunshine. Mark 612-275-8392 Good Noon Day MAST Families: Attached is a roster of athletes with two columns that indicate the race intentions of each athlete for our two races next week: Monday, Jan 9 at Hyland and Friday, Jan 13 at Welch Village. If you have a 'y' or 'n" next in columns G and H, then you have stated your race intentions for these races. If those boxes are blank, then you have not. I need EVERYONE to state his or her race intentions for these two races by the time you go to bed on Saturday night. NO EXCEPTIONS. While you are at it, state your intentions for the rest of the races on the calendar as well. We are entering JV skiers in the Welch Invitational on Jan 13th so all JV athletes should state their race intentions for the 13th even though it is an invitational. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 9TH AT HYLAND HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR Jan 13 Welch Invitational AT WELCH VILLAGE HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 16TH AT WILD MT HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 19TH AT HYLAND HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 23RD AT HYLAND HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 27TH AT THE WILD INVITE II HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 30TH AT HYLAND HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR FEB 2 AT WELCH VILLAGE HERE. Finally, there is still room on the bus for more athletes to attend the Supplemental Training on Saturday. Register HERE For The Jan 7th Supplemental Training. Parents: we could use more volunteers for our race on Monday. Here is a link to sign up to help: Monday, Jan 9 Hyland Race (Varsity and JV) And if you have not signed the Welch Village Waiver yet, here is a link to sign the waiver. All athletes will have the opportunity to race at Welch on Feb 2, so you might as well get this done now. Welch Village Waiver See you soon. Mark
Hello Again: I meant to send the run order for today's race. See attached. Should be able to print so everything fits on one page. Might have to adjust the columns a bit. See you soon. Mark
Good Evening: Very good racing today. Results are attached. Let me know if anything looks incorrect. Congratulations to Gabby Harritt and Andreas Drekonja for finishing the evening on top of the podium. Thank you coaches and parents for all your hard work. What a fantastic crew! Mark
All:
The school district has canceled all after school activities. MAST was assigned lanes 1 and 2 for the entire evening tonight. Great lanes. Great snow. Coaches are not allowed to attend a practice that has been canceled. The captains and a few alums will be at hyland during practice times to set courses and ski gates on lanes 1 and 2. Some parents will be in attendance as well. So basically, tonight is Captain Led Practice. You are welcome to join them but know that the paid coaches will not be present to assist. If you do go skiing, continue to exercise the same safety protocols and hill clean up methods we use on a daily basis in practice. Be sure to thank your captains and ask them what you can do to help them. Mark Good Morning:
Just got off the phone with MPS Headquarters. We are definitely shut down... No Race. No Practice. Back at it tomorrow. Use your time off wisely. Tune skis. Watch video. Do your homework. Shovel. Rest. It is unlikely we will be able to reschedule today's race, but we will give it a try nonetheless. Be sure you have stated your intentions for the next three races. Enjoy the beauty. Mark Good Afternoon:
Although we have a lull in the storm right now, we are still planing on holding training tonight from 5-7:15PM on lanes 6 and 7. Wear rope tow gloves. Road conditions are very poor so please drive extra carefully tonight. All athletes competing at Afton tomorrow should stay home tonight. Get your rest. I finished entering Coffee/Salsa Sales Account Credits into the accounts of each family that participated in the Individual Fundraiser. Here is a link to some instructions from Team Snap on how to claim your account credits when you register for your next event. Using Registration Credits. Please let me know if you have any trouble finding/utilizing these credits. For those competing at Afton tomorrow: Justice Page and Washburn athletes can bring their equipment to the storage room by the big gym. Arrive BEFORE 8AM and you will be able to enter through Door 5 off of 49th street near the dumpsters. If you arrive after 8am, you will need to enter through Door 10 which is the main entrance off 50th street and that will be a longer walk with all of your equipment to the storage room. Anthony and SW athletes: still waiting to hear back from the AD. So this means you will be receiving yet another update from me before the night is out... YOU ARE SOOOO LUCKY. The plan is for Joel to meet you at SW with the bus and for you to throw your skis in his truck and bring your boot bag onto the bus with you. I will do the same at Washburn for the Washburn/Justice Page skiers. Mark Good Evening:
For Anthony and SW students: Mr. Mountain invites you to keep your gear (skis and bags) in his Athletic Office in the Commons. If he is not there, he says "Mark Robinson, Old School or another employee can open the door for them. Other option is in the main office as some hockey players leave their gear there on the daily as well." I'm not sure I understand who Old School is, but hopefully you will find someone to open the Athletic Director's office door for you. This does not seem like adequate space, but that is the best I can do this time around. I suggest showing up well before the first bell so the SW staff has time to help you secure your items. If you still need to purchase a lift ticket for Afton, here is a link: Purchase Jan 4 Afton Lift Ticket Here If you and a parent still need to sign the Afton waiver, here is a link: Afton Waiver Also, you will want to bring a sack supper or money to purchase some food in the chalet. We are not serving dinner at this race, but we will be at Afton during supper time. Sleep well. Mark Dear MAST Athletes, Coaches and Parents:
This update is a follow-up to MAST Update Week Eight that I sent yesterday. (If you have not read that Update with careful attention to detail, please do so now.) I. MEC Race #1 at Afton on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 Attached is a roster of athletes who have indicated their desire to race in the first Metro East Conference Race on Jan 4 at Afton Alps. Everyone who wanted to race is entered. If you did not purchase a lift ticket, please do so either by mailing a check in the amount of $33 to: Mpls Alpine/ 4800 Harriet Ave/ Mpls 55419 or by logging into your team snap account and paying off the balance due for the Jan 4 lift ticket purchase. If you have a season pass to Afton or an Epic Pass and you can use it to secure your lift ticket, please let me know this as well. If your plans have changed and you cannot race, please let me know immediately. And if you thought you had stated your intention to race and your name is not listed, please give me a phone call: 612-275-8392. I will be requesting an early release from school for Wednesday, January 4th for all athletes participating in the race at Afton. I will request an early release of 1:00pm for Roosevelt and SW athletes and a 1:15 release for Washburn athletes. I strongly suggest that all parents also send a note to the attendance clerk requesting an early release. We will likely be asking you to drop off your skis BEFORE SCHOOL at Persching Park if you are a SW athletes or at my home (4800 Harriet) if you are a Washburn or Roosevelt athlete. I will confirm this plan tomorrow. I will also let you know where you can store your boots and ski bag at Washburn during the day. Afton is not allowing people to leave any bags in the chalet during the race. This means that you will want to get on the bus fully dressed in your ski clothes. You will finish booting up on the bus when you arrive at Afton. You will then have to leave your bag on the bus during the race. If you are racing at Afton, make sure you/your parents have a signed waiver on file with Afton. You can also click on the link to sign the waiver required at Welch Village for our two races there later in the season. Waivers Afton Alps Waiver Welch Village Waiver II. Race Workers Needed for Jan 4, Jan 6 and Jan 9 Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to work our first three races of 2023. We still have a few positions to fill so please consider volunteering. 1. Wednesday, Jan 4 MEC Conference Race #1 at Afton. 2. Friday, Jan 6 Hyland JV Race 3. Monday, Jan 9 Hyland Race (Varsity and JV) III. Update on the Hyland Race on Friday, January 6 A slight change in plans for this race: ALL ATHLETES ARE INVITED TO RACE. We are mixing things up a bit here. JV skiers will go first in the run order and Varsity athletes will follow. Jefferson is joining us. I will ask for an early release of 2:45PM for all athletes who state their intentions to race on Friday. Here is a link to do just that if you have not done so already. STATE YOUR INTENTIONS FOR JAN 6TH AT HYLAND HERE. We will offer training after the race for anyone who wants to stick around and train for a bit. While you are at it, state your race intentions for as many races as you can. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 9TH AT HYLAND HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR Jan 13 Welch Invitational AT WELCH VILLAGE HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 16TH AT WILD MT HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 19TH AT HYLAND HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 23RD AT HYLAND HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 27TH AT THE WILD INVITE II HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 30TH AT HYLAND HERE. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR FEB 2 AT WELCH VILLAGE HERE. IV. Training/Racing Schedule Week Eight Tuesday, Jan 3 Hyland Training 5-7:15PM All Pods Lanes 6,7. Meet on Lanes 6, 7 and wear rope tow gloves. The early and late training sessions are cancelled (3:45-6PM and 6:30-8:45PM). All athletes racing at Afton should NOT train today. Tune your skis, do your homework, pack for Wednesday, and rest (that means go to bed EARLY). Wednesday, Jan 4 MEC Race #1 at Afton.
5-7:15PM All Pods Lanes 4,5. Meet on Lanes 4,5 and wear rope tow gloves. The early and late training sessions are cancelled (3:45-6PM and 6:30-8:45PM). Thursday, Jan 5 Hyland Training 3:45-6PM. Pods 9-12. Washburn and South. Lanes 1, 2, 3. 5:00-7:15PM. Pods 7-8. Lanes 1, 2. Meet on South Chair at 6:30 for directed free skiing. 6:30-8:45PM. Pods 9-12. SW and Roosevelt. Lanes 1, 2. Meet on South Chair at 6:30 for directed free skiing. Friday, Jan 6 Hyland Race and Training 2:45PM Early Release 3:45PM Inspection 4:30PM First Run Starts Training will follow the conclusion of the race and hill clean-up for anyone wishing to stick around. Saturday, Jan 7 Hyland Training 7:45-10:15AM. All Pods Saturday, Jan 7. Supplemental Training at Wild Mt All Pods Invited. Register HERE For The Jan 7th Supplemental Training. Finally, MAST Mom’s Ski Night Is Back! Read on. MAST Moms Ski Night BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!! MAST MOMS SKI NIGHT! Gather your gear and join new, veteran, and alumni MAST moms for a Sunday night ski and social gathering. WHO: All MAST moms are invited, regardless of your skiing ability WHEN: Sunday, January 15th at 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Buck Hill Ski area. Meet on the lower level of the Buck ’54 Bar & Grill (It is in the building just North of the main chalet off the main parking lot) WHAT ELSE: Show up and gear up at 6:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale at 7 pm for $35 onsite, or online tickets are $25 for skiing from 7-9 p.m. WHAT IF? You don’t want to ski? Join us Après ski! We’ll have drinks at the Buck ’54 Bar & Grill upstairs starting around 9p.m. NO NEED TO RSVP! Just show up! As soon as I push send, I will be adding account credits to the Team Snap accounts of athletes who sold Salsa and Coffee last month. Thanks for your patience. Be careful on the roads tomorrow. Mark Conway 612-275-8392 [email protected] Dear MAST Athletes, Coaches and Parents:
Happy New Year 2023! We are standing at the midway point of our season and I could not be prouder of our athletes and coaches for their commitment to hard work, teamwork, and a generous and gracious spirit. It is a thrill to watch your skiing skills improve these first seven weeks. More technical and tactical gains are yet to come. Keep up the hard work. As I said in my Week Seven Update, we are entering a busy schedule of racing, in addition to our heavy schedule of training. Please help me out and take care of several administrative tasks. Task #1: Sign The Liability Release Waivers to a) Afton Alps and b) Welch Village. PLEASE, SIGN THESE WAIVERS BY SUNDAY, JANUARY 1. WaiversAfton Alps Waiver Welch Village Waiver Task #2: State Your Race Intentions Wednesday, January 4, 2023. Metro East Conference Race #1 at Afton Alps. STATE YOUR INTENTIONS FOR JAN 4TH AT AFTON HERE. Friday, January 6, 2022 Hyand Race vs Jefferson (JV and Varsity) STATE YOUR INTENTIONS FOR JAN 6TH AT HYLAND HERE. Monday, January 9, 2023 Hyland Race Vs Wayzata, DeLaSalle, and Holy Angels STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 9TH AT HYLAND HERE. Friday, January 13, 2023 Welch Village Invitational STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR Jan 13 Welch Invitational AT WELCH VILLAGE HERE. Monday, January 16, 2023 (MLK Day) Metro East Conference Race #2 at Wild Mt. STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 16TH AT WILD MT HERE. Thursday, January 19, 2023 Hyland Race Vs BSM, Jefferson, Lake Crystal STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 19TH AT HYLAND HERE. Monday, January 23, 2023 Hyland Race Vs Mound West Tonka and Lake Crystal STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 23RD AT HYLAND HERE. Friday, January 27, 2023 Wild Mt Invitational II at Wild Mt STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 27TH AT THE WILD INVITE II HERE. Monday, January 30, 2023 Hyland Race Vs Wayzata, Jefferson, Lake Crystal STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR JAN 30TH AT HYLAND HERE. Metro East Conference Race #3 at Welch Village. Thursday, February 2, 2023 STATE YOUR RACE INTENTIONS FOR FEB 2 AT WELCH VILLAGE HERE. Task #3: Sign Up For Supplemental Training on Saturday, January 7, 2023 Register HERE For The Jan 7th Supplemental Training. Task #4: Sign Up Work Our First Races We need parents to volunteer for race worker positions for our first three races. Please give our athletes a high quality race experience by filling these positions. 1. Wednesday, Jan 4 MEC Conference Race #1 at Afton. 2. Friday, Jan 6 Hyland JV Race 3. Monday, Jan 9 Hyland Race (Varsity and JV) Coffee and Salsa Sales Fundraising News: Account Credits Are ALMOST Ready I will be issuing the account credits that athletes earned selling coffee and salsa to your Team Snap accounts today and Monday. If you are unable to access those credits when you register to purchase a lift ticket or attend a supplemental training, please reach out to me so I can figure out what went wrong. Sprongo Videos The coaches shot a LOT of video clips over the last two weeks. We hope you are taking the time to watch and study your video and that of your teammates (who might possess some skills you still need to improve). I want to encourage ALL of you to watch and study one video in particular. There was a USSS race at Buck last week that many of your teammates entered. Coach Daniel stopped by to watch and video the second run. These clips are uploaded to Sprongo under the playlist titles ‘Chuck Stone’ dated Dec 28th. There were many racers there worthy of your attention—Louie Nyguen, Josh Nelson, Oliver Mueller-but the one who will best demonstrate all of the skills you have been developing is Isaiah Nelson. Isaiah is on the US Ski Team. He hails from the Buck Hill Ski Team and was the World Junior Champion in Super G in 2022. He is an exceptional skier, accomplished in all four alpine disciplines. Daniel videotaped his forerun and it is worth watching over and over again. Use the side-by-side feature in Sprongo to watch Isaiah vs another competitor. I estimate that Isaiah’s run was at least one and a half seconds faster than anyone else in the field, and he was just forerunning. The bottom line: Isaiah’s run is as perfect a demonstration of the six fundamentals of alpine skiing as I have ever seen. Like Mikaela, he makes it look so easy. I encourage you to download his video. Watch it frame by frame. Implant the images into your mind—high edge angles; active lower legs that increase and decrease edge angles with speed, fluidity, and precision; decisive and powerful outside ski pressure with a perfectly square upper torso; perfect re-centering in the transition; quiet and disciplined upper body; a well-defined and timed pole plant; a tight arc back to the gate from above and the side; perfect positioning of the inside boot cuff/shin guard on the gate; turn completion as soon as plastic meets plastic (pole guards/shin guards make simultaneous contact with the gate), continuous ski snow contact, and perfectly carved turns with minimal snow displacement. Finally, if you missed it, Mikaela Shiffrin won three world cup races in a row this weekend. She now has 80 world cup victories. The 80th victory was also her 50th victory in a world cup slalom race. No athlete has dominated a sport like Mikaela. Making this last victory even more exciting is that her teammate, Paula Moltzen, finished in second place. Paula is a product of the Buck Hill Ski Team and won the State High School Alpine Championship when she was in ninth grade... somewhere around the time when Coach Matthew was racing. This is the first time since 1971 that two American women have finished one-two in a world cup slalom. If you didn’t see the race, you can watch highlights here: Mikaela and Paula World Cup Race. And if you want to see what she did the day before: Click Here for Win #79. And if you want to see what she did the day before that: Click Here for Win #78. And one more video to watch: Deb Armstrong Interviews River Radamus about technique, tactics, and the mental game. You might need to watch this one multiple times. Very worth the time. Mark Conway 612-275-8392 [email protected] |
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